Most people are sheep. And sheep, it seems, are suckers for getting something for nothing. These are two facts that should be at the forefront of the thinking of anyone looking to sell anything new to the public. Businesses do it all the time of course, with BOGOF deals in supermarkets and banks offering high interest rates to suck in new savers. The hard part is getting the first few customers through the door and making sure they go away happy. If they do they’ll tell their friends or better still internet forums and hey presto, you have a successful launch.
The Fuel Poverty Epidemic, What Now ?
There is a new epidemic which is spreading through Britain. At first it affected only the very poor and vulnerable members of society but its grip is expanding. It is not contagious and cannot be treated by doctors or with medicines. It is not a physical or mental illness, but it can and does cause misery and even death. Its name is Fuel Poverty.
Electric Cars – the Quiet Revolution
The electric car, or EV (Electric Vehicle) to give it its modern name has been around for decades, but it’s come a long way since the much maligned Sinclair C5. These days many EVs look and drive as good as if not better than their petrol engine equivalents. Advances in battery technology and the introduction of public charging points mean they can be used for longer and longer journeys with less risk of running out of power.
Panic at the Pumps – Watershed for Britain’s Energy Policy
For me, the overall reaction over to the threat of petrol and diesel shortages, from the cynicism of the Government in seizing the opportunity to create a crisis to deflect attention from the “cash for access” scandal, to the sensationalism of the press to the selfish instincts of the public, making sure they bought they needed and never mind anyone else, fighting in forecourts and even putting lives at risk, the “Blitz mentality” on which we pride ourselves was nowhere to be seen.
Solar Rent a Roof Scheme May Trap Thousands in Expensive Mortgages
These days it’s normal to remortgage every two or three years. You take a good deal on a fixed interest rate and once the fixed rate expires you switch to whichever lender is offering the best deal at the time. Provided you have sufficient equity in your property and a decent credit rating and your income hasn’t fallen since the last time you mortgaged you should have no problem taking your pick of the deals. That is unless, it seems, you’ve had free solar panels installed under a “rent a roof” scheme.
Greenest Government Ever? Sorry Mr Cameron but do we look Green?!
Anyone remember, 3 days after coalition took power, David Cameron making his promise to lead the “greenest Government ever”? I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t, it’s hardly up there with the Kennedy assassination or the Moon landing, but nonetheless it was an important pledge at an important time for environmental policy and if you’re going to make a statement like that at a time when the world’s attention is focussed on you have to expect that you’ll be judged on it.
Considerations When Switching Energy Providers
As we all know, over the past few years energy prices have been soaring and despite some recent small cuts to the standard tariffs, this trend looks set to continue. As prices rise faster than inflation, the percentage of net income which is taken up by fuel bills grows and we can no longer afford to stay with the same supplier for convenience. We need to be sure we are getting the best deal and that means switching supplier regularly.
Installing a Ground Source Heat Pump
Ground source heat pumps have been around for over 50 years, and are quite common in some parts of the world such as the United States and Scandinavia. Most people don’t realise that they can be a viable option for residential properties however it should no surprise to see them becoming more and more common in the UK, particularly for new build properties.
Easy tips to reduce your power bills
One of the most common misconceptions about reducing your power bill or being a friend of the environment is that you’ll have to suffer through cold showers and live by candlelight.
The truth is that it doesn’t require significant lifestyle changes to cut your energy consumption and save money on your power bill. Rising energy prices in Australia are adding to the pressure on the household budget, but small and simple changes to the way you use your household energy can cut down your power bills significantly.
How feed-in tariff changes will affect homeowners
Homeowners and businesses have been striving to complete their installations of solar panels before the deadline of March 3rd, after which the feed-in-tariff incentive fell from 43p per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 21p. Installations completed after this date will receive the original 43p rate only until April 1st, and figures released by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) suggest that the change has prompted a flurry of activity in the market.
People are the Greatest Green Deal Threat
Inevitably we are all talking about Green Deal these days, and we have been doing it for quite a while, but there are a couple of things that don’t seem to be getting mentioned in the current debate, though before we go any further let me make clear that I am pro Green Deal. It should be a great deal for families and the country, but it is no good pretending that there won’t be any snags. Here are a couple more to consider.
DECC Announces Feed In Tariff changes – the good and bad news
After some deliberation the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced that having had “Green Deal measures” installed in a property will not be a prerequisite for claiming the Feed in Tariff (FIT). The Green Deal is this Government’s flagship environmental policy (the FIT being a Labour initiative) and is due to launch this autumn. It is critical to its claim to be the greenest Government ever that it succeeds.
Three Chrome Energy Efficient Kitchen Appliances
A lot of the energy we use in the home is used in the kitchen for cooking and boiling water, so it makes sense, both environmentally financially, to look our appliances and see how we can improve them.
Installing a Wind Turbine at Your Home
Wind turbines are a great way, in the right conditions, to harness “free” energy from the wind. Their operation is simple, the wind turns the blades which are connected to a shaft which turns a generator which in turns produces electricity. They can be connected to the mains power supply for properties on the National Grid or can power batteries for properties are not.
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